Year 12 students considering further studies and a career in STEM subjects are being offered the opportunity of working alongside professional scientists and engineers to solve real-life problems in industry.

The Engineering Education Scheme (EES) is a six-month Engineering Development Trust (EDT) programme that links teams of four-to-six year 12 students and their teachers with local companies, where they work on real scientific or engineering projects.

A professional engineer from the company works with the students and their teacher on a real industrial problem to which the company needs a solution.

During the six months, students are encouraged to show industrial enterprise, creativity and innovation while gaining experience of problem-solving, team-work and project management.

In the South East, EES is co-ordinated by STEM Sussex, the STEM outreach department of the University of Brighton, who organise a two-day residential workshop at the university as part of the six-month programme.

There is also a celebration and assessment day for participating students, teachers and companies.

Rachel Day, project co-ordinator for the EES in Sussex, said: “The students gain important project management, report-writing, communication and team-work skills, as well as enhancing their classroom learning, by working on some advanced physics or engineering.”

Across England and Scotland between 1,300 and 1,400 students take part in EES every year. Almost 90 per cent go on to study for engineering or associated science or technical degrees, and it is estimated that projects have saved companies hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Amanda Jayne, a teacher at Hurstpierpoint College in West Sussex, added: “Students gain confidence in presenting, but more importantly, the first-hand experience of engineering is most valuable. Most of the students who’ve been on the EES programme have gone on to secure offers of an engineering degree course.”

In the South East, the latest two-day residential workshop at the University of Brighton was held in December. Among those taking part in the programme were Ifield Community College in West Sussex, who worked with engineers from Gatwick Airport and, Oriel High School, who did projects with L3 Link and Schneider, and Trinity School in Croydon, who worked with Cory Energy.